NASA: Good shot at Sunday shuttle launch

Mar 13, 2009

The sun sets as space shuttle Discovery is seen at pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, Wednesday, March 11, 2009, in Cape Canaveral, Fla.. A hydrogen leak delayed the launch of Discovery scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. NASA did not set a new launch date. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

(AP) -- NASA feels it has a good shot at sending shuttle Discovery to the international space station on Sunday following repairs out at the launch pad.

A half-dozen or so workers were out at the Florida launch pad Friday, putting in a new hydrogen vent line hookup and fresh seals.

NASA called off Wednesday's launch attempt after hydrogen gas leaked into the air at the spot where a hydrogen gas vent line hooks up to Discovery's external fuel tank.

It was the latest delay for the mission to deliver a final set of solar wings to the space station. The earlier postponements were caused by different shuttle valves and pushed the flight back by a month.

Forecasters expect an 80 percent chance of good weather for the evening launch.

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